Richard Dimbleby Lecture

The Richard Dimbleby Lecture (also known as the Dimbleby Lecture) was founded in the memory of Richard Dimbleby, the BBC broadcaster. It has been delivered by an influential business or political figure almost every year since 1972 (with gaps in 1981, 1991, 1993 and 2008).

Year Title Speaker Speaker's position Transcript
2011 Set Our Children Free Michael Morpurgo Children's author and campaigner
2010 Shaking Hands With Death Sir Terry Pratchett Author & Alzheimer's sufferer. Read by Tony Robinson on speaker's behalf owing to his condition

[1] [2]
2009 Facing The Future Prince Charles Prince of Wales

[3]
2007 A DNA-Driven World Craig Venter Gene pioneer

[4]
2006 Defence of the Realm in the 21st Century General Sir Mike Jackson Former Chief of the General Staff

[5] [6]
2005 What Kind of Police Service Do We Want? Sir Ian Blair Metropolitan Police Commissioner [7], [8]
2004 Engineering the Difference James Dyson Vacuum cleaner tycoon [9]
2003 The path towards a new world Dominique de Villepin French foreign minister [10], [11], [12]
2002 Nations, Markets and Morals Dr Rowan Williams Archbishop of Canterbury [13]
2001 The Struggle For The Soul of The 21st Century Bill Clinton Former President of the United States of America [14]
2000 Who's Afraid of Modern Art Sir Nicholas Serota Director of the Tate Gallery
1999 The Future Could be Too Much Fun Susan Greenfield Professor of pharmacology [15]
1998 Principles of Peace George J. Mitchell Former U.S. Senator and chair of the talks leading to the Belfast Agreement
1997 Public Life, Public Confidence Lord Nolan Former law lord
1996 Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder Richard Dawkins Professor of biology
1994 Security and Democracy - Is There a Conflict? Stella Rimington Director-General of MI5
1992 The Judiciary in the Nineties Lord Taylor of Gosforth Lord Chief Justice
1990 Europe in the Nineties Helmut Schmidt Former Chancellor of Germany
1989 Living Off the Land Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh
1988 Knowledge Itself is Power Sir George Porter Professor of chemistry
1987 British Television: Who are the Masters Now? Sir Denis Forman Deputy Chairman of the Granada Group
1986 Does Industry Matter? Sir John Harvey-Jones Former chairman of ICI
1985 Teacher, Teach Thyself Baroness Warnock Professor of philosophy
1984 The Other Britain David Sheppard Bishop of Liverpool and former cricketer
1983 Missing Our Connections Sir Peter Parker Former chairman of British Railways Board
1982 Irish Identities Garret FitzGerald Former (and later, again) Taoiseach of Ireland
1980 Misuse of Power Lord Denning Master of the Rolls
1979 Home Thoughts from Abroad Roy Jenkins President of the European Commission
1978 Risk Lord Rothschild Zoologist and security adviser
1977 The Human Face of Labour Jack Jones Former general secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union
1976 Elective Dictatorship Lord Hailsham Former (and later, again) Lord Chancellor
1975 The British Experience in Television Sir Huw Wheldon Broadcaster
1974 Housing - Who is to Blame? Lord Goodman Former chairman of the Arts Council
1973 Minority Verdict Sir Robert Mark Metropolitan Police Commissioner
1972 What are Universities for, Anyway? Lord Annan Provost of University College, London

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